Student Puts Campus On Review

By: Anne Swenson, Intern, San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse

I am a senior at a prominent university in San Antonio. Last semester, I attended a celebration in honor of the restoration of one of our oldest and most cherished buildings on campus. Hundreds gathered for this event—many students, staff, faculty, alumni, as well as many who are not directly affiliated with the university. At the reception, a variety of food was offered, including free beer and wine. As of July 2011, I am 21 years old so, I decided that I would like a glass of free wine. As I approached the counter I had my ID ready to show to our food provider’s employee who was serving the drinks—the same man I see around our cafeteria regularly. I handed it to him, and to my surprise, he chuckled. “Did you think I was going to card you?” Seeing as the majority of our student body is under 21 years old, I responded, “Well, you should be.” He handed the glass to me without looking at my ID.

I don't even look 21. I am petite in stature and have a young-looking face; I could easily pass for 17. Not being carded came as a shock to me. If I had been a minor (and on this particular occasion, there was a good chance that I was) he would have still given me the drink. With so many young women out there that look much older than their actual age, how many minors are able to obtain alcohol because they look like they are old enough—or simply because the server does not care either way? What message does this send to students on behalf of my university and our food provider? Some might think, “This is awesome; they give us free alcohol in the middle of the day and don’t worry about carding us! They understand college students.” This is not the message I received. I perceived an overwhelming lack of concern, from his chuckle and indifferent tone.

I am well aware of the enormous alcohol abuse problem in our city. Its detrimental effects ripple throughout our communities, contributing to impaired driving, crime, lost productivity, family problems, health problems, alcoholism, and countless other alcohol-related problems. Many dismiss alcohol as a significant issue because they believe that other drugs are much worse; this is a diluted perception. Every year, alcohol does more damage by far than any other drug.

I do not believe that consuming alcohol is wrong. There is a time and place. There is also an age limit. If we are lenient about some rules, like age, at what point will we draw the line? Does handing out free alcohol to college students, faculty, staff, and visitors without enforcing the age limit for alcohol consumers contribute to this problem? Maybe. Maybe not. Nonetheless, as a university which prides itself in its active role in serving our community and its firm stance in helping to solve social problems, I wonder how aware and concerned my university is with one of San Antonio’s most detrimental problems. Its mission statement emphasizes the importance of educating students to become leaders for the common good. Surely, this should include educating and encouraging students about the importance of complying with the law—especially those laws regarding alcohol. Most students face decisions about alcohol on a regular basis; we are figuring out its role in our lives and where we stand on the issues that surround it. What can we do to help solve it? Surely, nonchalantly handing out free alcohol without ensuring that the consumer meets the law’s requirements is not a step in the right direction.

Maybe It's Not the Cheeseburgers

In the year 2012 I resolve to make healthier choices for myself, get back in shape, and take time for my physical and mental health.  I am particularly proud of this resolution and plan to at least stick to it until the end of February unlike my other resolutions which experienced early deaths in late January.

My first step was to evaluate my current diet to see where I needed to make sacrifices in favor of a healthy caloric intake. First to get cut were sodas and fast food which had unfortunately become staples in my weekly diet. Fruit and vegetables would have to conquer my daily plate for as long as my wallet and palate would allow. While I was evaluating my current diet I was reminded of a training I attended a few months ago on the calories consumed by the average college student from alcoholic beverages. While I didn’t think alcohol made up a significant portion of my calories, I decided to look up my own alcohol related calorie consumption. After learning as much as I had about alcohol consumption since beginning my work at the San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, I had already cut my usage to no more than 2 drinks a week, with the exception of holidays when I would enjoy a glass of wine at family dinners. Still my usage is within the recommended rates, and I expected the calorie totals to reflect my responsible consumption. I was surprised to see that my monthly total for calories from alcohol came out to 916 (equivalent to 3 cheeseburgers) with a total of 10,992 for the year. While that might not sound like much, according to the recommended calorie intake for a woman of my size and age that is equivalent to over 5.5 days worth of calories.

On top of my health I resolved to save money for graduate school this year. After consulting my handy calculator I estimated that the financial expense of my alcohol consumption comes out to approximately $40 a month or $480 a year. Again for some readers that might not sound like a lot of money, but for me it is almost a full month’s rent; not to mention enough to buy a few textbooks for graduate school.  

While I have no intention of completely cutting alcohol out of my diet, I do plan to take these calculations into consideration. Taking into account my priorities of healthy living and financial security, it makes sense for me to consider cutting back to one drink a week. In view of the fact that one of the most popular resolutions is to lose weight and get healthy, it is important for people to consider cutting back on alcohol as part of a healthy diet.

For more information on health concerns related to alcohol use contact the Circles of San Antonio (COSA) at 210-225-4741 or by email at coalition@sacada.org. For more information on the work our coalition is doing in your community check out our Facebook page or follow our Twitter account @circlesofsa.

Wasted Potential

Bethany Denman was a promising student. She was a member of the honor roll and planned to be a physician. Some say that her recent 15 year sentence for killing Amy Meron, a local piano teacher and mother, while driving at .30 blood alcohol content is too harsh, and that it will prevent her from being a full contributing member of society. The truth is that she already made choices that prevented her from reaching her full potential.

One poor choice was to abuse alcohol, pills, and marijuana. Even with all of her education, her brain was not fully formed. It was still developing its capacity to retain knowledge and use judgment. Regardless of whether or not our laws see her as an adult, her brain was not fully developed; and thanks to the abuse of alcohol and drugs it will never be the fully functioning tool that it could have been.

Her drinking was nearing a lethal dose even without the pills and marijuana. She would have been experiencing near total loss of motor functions, inability to stand or walk, vomiting, incontinence, and potential unconsciousness. By drinking at those levels while abusing drugs she was risking serious damage to her body potentially resulting in liver, pancreas, and bone damage; not to mention cancer and heart disease.

Denman’s attorney argued that “throwing her in jail for 20 years . . .  is not going to stop the alcoholic that’s drinking right now and ready to get in their car.” He argued that as an honors student and an applicant to medical school she “isn't the type of careless sociopath one might expect on a Mothers Against Drunk Driving billboard.”  To this perspective I must argue that the average drunk driver is not an alcoholic. Offenders are not sociopaths; they do not necessarily have poor education or low socioeconomic status. While I agree that Denman’s sentence will do little to deter future drunk drivers, we cannot allow the problem to be so undervalued as to warrant probation. The victims of this crime were not treated differently because of their own background or education, and perpetrators of this crime should not be given more credit for their standing in the community.

 In order to prevent future fatalities and wasted potential we must not rely on enforcement alone. This problem is community wide and therefore requires a community response. Everyone should be involved in some way or another whether it is educating your kids on the dangers of alcohol, or calling the police when you see an intoxicated person preparing to get behind the wheel. Prevention, advocacy, education and community awareness are key to solving this problem.

For information on alcohol and substance abuse in Bexar County contact the Circles of San Antonio (COSA) at 210-225-4741 or by email at coalition@sacada.org. For more information on the work our coalition is doing to reduce drunk drinking in your community check out our Facebook page or follow our Twitter account @circlesofsa.

Safe Underage Drinking: A Contradiction in Terms?

Recently announced research regarding alcohol in the home has caused quite a stir among parents. News 4 WOAI reported on a study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs which found that teens who drink with adult supervision have more drinking-related problems than their peers whose parents do not allow them to drink. This is not the first study that shows that the “harm-minimization strategy,” the theory that parents can reduce the negative effects of alcohol abuse by supervising alcohol use among teens, is an ineffective method of reducing alcohol abuse. The study which was conducted by Drs. Barbara Morris, Richard Catalano, Min Jung Kim, John Toumbourou and Sheryl Hemphill of the Center for Adolescent Nursing, Healthy Youth Development Prevention Resource Center at the University of Minnesota, delved into several different factors that contributed to teen alcohol abuse. The research, which was performed in Washington State, found that, “the relationship between favorable parental attitudes toward alcohol use and ninth-grade alcohol use and alcohol related harms was mediated by opportunities to drink in an adult-supervised setting in a way that increased risk.” (McMorris et al. 425) The study noted a significant positive link between adult supervision, alcohol use, and harmful effects.

Other research addressing this issue was performed by Raymond Vet and Drs. Regina Van Den Eijnden, Dike Van De Mheen and Ad Vermulst of Utrecht University and published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. This study addressed other practices that encouraged or discouraged teen use. The researchers’ findings encouraged parents to remove alcohol from the home if possible, and to enforce strict rules about drinking. Alcohol availability was linked to alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, however when strict parental rules regarding alcohol were in place alcohol related problems were prevented. The study also examined parental communication and found that conversations about alcohol were not always successful, and this may be due to the fact that conversations were not approached in the most constructive way.

These studies discourage parents from assuming that their child is aware of their negative opinion of underage alcohol use. The research shows that setting strict clear rules regarding alcohol is necessary to prevent underage illegal use. Parents should educate themselves on how best to broach the subject, and should do so early on based on the early age of alcohol initiation in Bexar County (12 years old is avg for first alcoholic drink). Parents should not believe that because they allow drinking with adult supervision, that minors will avoid drinking without adult supervision. If possible, alcohol should be removed from the home, or at least not be in a location that provides easy access to underage drinkers.

Unfortunately many parents still believe that it is a fact of life that teenagers will drink and that by providing a “safer” location for this behavior, parents are acting responsibly. The research, not to mention the law, does not support this practice. It is illegal in this state to provide alcohol to someone who is not your child; however, due to the way that this crime is prosecuted many individuals go free because the courts could not prove that the individual intended to supply alcohol to a minor.  Cases such as that of Audrey King, a teenager who was killed in a alcohol related traffic collision following a party at the home of former Texas Chief Justice Tom Phillips, show us that some adults who deny knowledge of drinking in their home are not held legally liable for providing to minors. In San Antonio, 41% of SAISD students admitted in the Texas School Survey that they obtain alcohol “at parties”. If we are going to take the problem of underage drinking seriously, it is time that we do something about the source of the alcohol – parties. One strategy to prevent these parties and hold individuals accountable for providing to minors is a social host ordinance.

Social host ordinances are local laws that hold individuals who own property where a minor is served alcohol civilly liable. Under these ordinances a parent could be fined regardless of whether or not they were at the home at the time of the party. An apartment owner who allows raucous underage drinking parties to occur on his property could also be held accountable. These ordinances are not established simply to punish offenders, but to encourage parents and property owners to take the necessary action to prevent these parties from occurring. These ordinances change the norms of a community related to underage drinking, enforcing the idea that underage drinking is wrong and that there are consequences for ignoring the law.

If you are interested in learning more about social host ordinances and how they could be implemented in your community, come to the San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse offices on Thursday, June 9th at 2 pm. Please contact the Circles of San Antonio at 210-225-4741 if you have any questions.

Fiesta with a Prevention Purpose

This year marks Fiesta’s 120th anniversary. Over the past 120 years Fiesta has grown from a celebration to honor the heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto to an 11 day celebration involving over 100 events which recognize the diverse cultures and rich spirit of San Antonio.

The Circles of San Antonio Community Coalition (COSA) has collaborated with the Fiesta San Antonio Commission and various other local organizations to educate adults on the dangers and risks associated with drunk driving. Last summer, COSA approached the Fiesta Commission about expanding their year round education efforts to include the message of responsible alcohol use and education on the dangers of binge drinking. This suggestion was in recognition of the fact that while the efforts being done to enforce and reduce drunk driving among adults are worthwhile and necessary, it is just as important to educate the next generation on the dangers of alcohol misuse and abuse so that we can ensure that future community celebrations are safe. As a result of this new partnership, the Fiesta San Antonio Commission participated in the Prevention Resource Center Region 8 Red Ribbon Concerts with the Air Force Band of the West during the month of October, providing giveaways and bringing Fiesta Royalty to the concerts to speak to over 10,000 San Antonio area public school students about the importance of healthy choices and education. In keeping with COSA’s push to enforce the ideals of Red Ribbon Week year round, the Fiesta Commission has announced the first annual Remember the Red Carnival Day on April 12th when organizations from across the community will come to the Fiesta Carnival to distribute educational material for parents and children on healthy choices and drug, tobacco and alcohol prevention. In addition to the educational material, the organizations will be providing small giveaways and fun activities with the message of healthy choices and avoiding risky behaviors.

To celebrate the occasion and encourage family attendance for the event, Frank Zaitshik, the owner of Wade Shows Inc which organizes the carnival, is offering 1,000 free rides for the first 1,000 kids that visit each of the participating organizations' booths wearing red shirts in recognition of Remember the Red and the year round efforts of the alcohol and drug enforcement and prevention community. Wear red, bring your families and enjoy the carnival! Viva Fiesta! Follow the event on Twitter at #FiestaRed

Details

Working to make Fiesta Safer

Written by Grace Stafford, San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse

The Battle of the Flowers and other Fiesta events have been traditions in the city of San Antonio for over 100 years. In the early days the events were marked by flowers, carriages and royalty. While the flowers and royalty are still a big part of Fiesta, recent years have brought a more negative image - that of a drunken party that occasionally results in crime, specifically drunk driving. This is not an image that San Antonio, and especially the Fiesta Commission, wants to project. While no DWI accidents have been specifically attributed to Fiesta events in the past 10 years, as the San Antonio Express News noted Monday, April is usually the deadliest month of the year when it comes to alcohol related traffic fatalities.
With that in mind several initiatives have gone into effect to prevent the alcohol related crimes that occur during the weeks of Fiesta. For the second year in a row the Fiesta Commission is offering seating along the parade route in zones that are designated as alcohol and tobacco free, giving families the opportunity to enjoy the parades without subjecting their children to negative influences. If you are interested in purchasing tickets in the alcohol and tobacco free sections (Sections 14 and 22) visit fiesta-sa.org. On top of public service announcements and other marketing tools aimed at discouraging drunk driving this spring, the Texas Department of Transportation has worked with local businesses and prevention organizations to organize 1,000 free cab rides for those who are too drunk to drive. The Fiesta Commission has been active year round encouraging the message of prevention, supporting events during Red Ribbon week, and establishing a Fiesta Prevention day on April 12th where students and families can pick up materials from local organizations and participate in activities encouraging healthy choices.
On top of the prevention efforts, law enforcement will be present at Fiesta events ensuring that minors and those who are already drunk are not served.  Chief McManus and District Attorney Susan Reed have spoken frequently on the importance of DWI enforcement year round. Over the next few weeks law enforcement officers will be on high alert, looking for signs of distracted and drunk driving all over the city to pick up offenders before an innocent citizen pays the price for someone else’s drunken decisions.
According to the San Antonio Express News, when discussing the DWI problem Mayor Julian Castro said, “I think the key is for folks to take personal responsibility and for vendors of Fiesta to take seriously their responsibility not to serve folks who appear intoxicated.” I agree with the Mayor that no one is forcing these individuals to drink heavily, or to get behind the wheel when intoxicated, but I am encouraged by the efforts made by the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and the Fiesta Commission to prevent the risky behavior that leads to poor decision making and accidental injury or death. I look forward to seeing the image of Fiesta return to the glamorous image of its origin rather than being connected with a month of drunken mistakes.
For more information, watch Bill Drain Rey Feo LXIII and Chairman of the Bexar County DWI Taskforce Detective Mike Davis discuss DWI prevention and Fiesta’s push to reduce drunk driving during April

Pennies for Prevention- Birdies for Charity

Support SACADA Programs, Every Penny Counts!

Birdies for Charity® is a fundraising program designed by Golf San Antonio to give participating organizations, such as SACADA, the opportunity to generate contributions through the Valero Texas Open.

Birdies for Charity lets participants make a donation for every “birdie” made at the Valero Texas Open. In golf, a “birdie” is one stroke under par for a hole. So if, someone pledged $0.01 per birdie, they would pay one penny for every birdie made. Last year, 1,954 birdies were made, at .01 per birdie equals a donation of $19.54.

To add excitement and increase participation, donors can also participate in the “Guess the Birdies” contest. Donors can guess how many “birdies” will be made during the tournament, which will be held at TPC San Antonio on April 11-17, 2011. Guess the number of “birdies” correctly and win a brand new vehicle.

Donors have the ability to make a one-time donation and flexibility to pay in advance or be billed after the tournament. Donations are accepted from anywhere around the world and are tax deductible.

By donating to SACADA, children will continue to learn resiliency and healthy decision making skills to live Drug Free lives. Our agency also helps those struggling with drug use find appropriate resources to reach abstinence and live productive lives.

Donate to the San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse